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A finger-licking tale

East Side Sushi (2014)       


Cast: Diana Elizabeth Torres, Yutaka Takeuchi, Kaya Jade Aguirre, Rodrigo Duarte Clark

Director: Anthony Lucero

Synopsis: Juana, a Latina single mum strives hard to become a sushi chef and prove her potential against all odds, working in a Japanese restaurant while trying to make a living to support her daughter and father.

Rating: ★★★★☆


East Side Sushi is the story on Juana, a single mum who struggles to make ends meet amidst the chaos of her momentary jobs where each job did not last for more than two weeks. The story kicks off with the daily routine of Juana and the challenges she faces. Rodrigo, whom she calls Apa, plays the role of a conservative dad who does not like to experiment and prefers to stick to the past. Here's a dad who wants his daughter to work in a traditional Latino taco restaurant while his daughter, intrigued by the Japanese cuisine, is willing to work in a Japanese sushi restaurant.
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Though mild, the slapstick comedy worked out quite well, careful not to obstruct the flow of the story.

However, Aguirre's performance wasn't very convincing, Takeuchi did an excellent job in portraying Aki's role. Aki is a Japanese sushi chef who trains and encourages Juana to be a sushi chef. Aki's character is more like a hazelnut -  hard and tough on the outside, delicate and subtle on the inside. Juana and Aki are like chalk and cheese. Juana is an aggressive and enduring woman who is verbally quite terse whereas Aki is a dedicated yet gentle man who prefers to stick to his last.

As things progress, Juana is sucked into a whirlpool of her own mind's conspiracy, leaving her soul in a mess.

The engaging storyline, consistent screenplay and well-thought-out direction really lifted the story to a higher level.


The story manages to keep its audience absorbed throughout the film.

Over all, the flick was very entertaining and engrossing. A great film, one of its kind.



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